And then there were 4....and The Ridiculous Shoe Problem

Goodbyes are never easy, especially after 18 days of togetherness.

Gunner left bright and early this morning as I headed off to work and took the kids to daycare before school.

Some pictures....





This afternoon when we got home, I got a notice saying that Abs was out of dress code. She goes to a public school, but they require uniforms. Last year I bought her a pair of shoes and she wore them for a few weeks. Summer came and she went back to her sandals and the tennis shoes sat. Once school was about to begin, I had her try them on and they still fit, so she was happy wearing them. A plain pair of nikes.

Imagine my surprise when I got a notice stating that "Your child was out of compliance in the following manner: Shoes--solid color." So I look on the back of the paper to see what the proper procedures are for tennis shoes. It says "Any solid color sneaker (accent colors on tennis shoes are acceptable) or velcro, loafer style, or laced shoe. No neon colors, lights, noisemakers, or rollers." It goes on to say "Shoelaces must match shoes in color or must be white. No flip-flops, sandals, high heels, clogs, or platform shoes. Athletic shoes are required on PE days. Must be worn with socks or tights....."

So I just don't get it. Abbie's shoes are white (although they could stand to have a washing) and the swooshes are a different color which would fall under the accent colors. So basically if she goes to school next week with these shoes on she will be sent home until she complies with the dress code. I think she might be switching to my school which doesn't require uniforms if it comes to that. I'm not buying a new pair of shoes when she might really need a pair in a few months. She also wore these shoes at the end of last year, and there were no complaints. Geez....

Am I losing my mind or is this ridiculous?

Thursday will make 39 trash days left. Slowly but surely.....

Random Thoughts

I survived my first week. All children are still alive, they think I am wonderful, beautiful and the best teacher ever. I definitely have my work cut out for me, but it is fun and different every day.



Palin as the VP--okay.



Gunner leaves soon.



I still haven't gotten a Wii. I should do it while Gunner is here so he can hook it up. Problem is they are out of stock everywhere.



The girls had a great first week of school. Abs has gotten in trouble every day for talking. She has the same teacher for last year and I really like her. Em has a male teacher this year, and she really likes him.



Junior had tubes put in his ear. He's been miserable since it happened. Hopefully improvement is around the corner.



I start class next Saturday. At least I know the workload will be less than over the summer. It's all good.



Junior got a hold of a permanent black marker and decorated the couch and the wall. I guess at least it wasn't desitin. Gunner's going to try steam clean it today.

Abs is reading Harry Potter and loving it.



Gunner's list has not been completed. Maybe I was too ambitious? He has changed every diaper since he came home, so I will cut him some slack. (Update: I had to get one this morning, so no slack!)

I had my grass cut for free by the organization that contracts for free mowings for military families. I'll find the link and post it.

I met some friends from my program for drinks after we got our computer the other day. It was nice. Our topics sure have changed!

I went and had my haircut last night and straightened. My hair is sooooo curly, it took two people over an hour to straighten it.

Gunner had a sleepover with the girls last night. This morning he assured me that he will be sleeping on a bed next time.

A long, long, long time ago, today, a beautiful, bouncing baby girl was born in Australia. She was the light of her parent's life and adored by her siblings.....or so she likes to imagine. :)

Wordless Wednesday

We start them early in our family.... he was puzzled as he watched some of the speakers during the DNC. Couldn't believe what came out of their mouths....

Make some money

Together again after deployment?



Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin are looking for couples to participate in a study about the transition from deployment to being reunited at home.


Couples will be paid $100 for participating in this study.


All participant information is completely confidential. This study consists of a two hour session, then two 20-minute internet questionnaires one month and six months later. Couples will receive $20 after the first session and $80 after the one-month followup.

Couples must be 18 or older, married for at least one year, reunited for between 2 and 18 months after a deployment, and not planning to deploy again in the next 2 months


For more information and to see if you qualify, go to: www.utpsyc.org/army
Or contact the research team members at: jenna@mail.utexas.edu

What next you ask?

Tonight we got home late and Abs ran to the bathroom. She came out and wanted to tell her dad about what she saw in her poop. Em started shrieking about how gross she was, and Gunner didn't want to hear it either. Of course being the mother that I am, I wanted to hear all about it.

And what did she see?

Gold star? No.

Acorn? No.

White worms? Yes.

I figure she has pinworms. I am disgusted. My poor little baby. So from the research she needs medication. Of course she is seen in Temple and her doctor doesn't work on the weekends. One of the drawbacks of keeping her with a civilian. So tomorrow morning I will send Gunner off to the er with Abs to get medication. I really should be mean and make him take all three kids, a bottle of sanitizer, some snacks, and make a day out of it--goodness knows I have done that almost every weekend he was gone!

UPDATE:
Well we did the scotch tape test after Abs had fallen asleep and sure enough, it is pinworms. Poor little girl. It was really gross. I think A Soldier's Wife is right, I am sure we will laugh about this.....one day.

Sad News

My friend Heather.

I wrote about her a while back here.

Heather was very vocal about her fight with colon cancer, but on August 20th, 2008, at the age of 30, she passed away. As a single mom, she worked, raised children, and became an advocate for colon cancer screenings for those that couldn't afford them. She was a beautiful person both inside and out, and her friendship has always meant a lot to me.

Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, especially Caleb and Gabby.

He’s Home

Gunner texted me while I sat in class on Thursday to let me know he would be home that afternoon.

We drove to Austin to meet his flight at 4. It was cancelled.

He got a new flight for Friday. I cried and planned our drive to Dallas to get him.

Called the airlines and they said he was coming in at 7 in Killeen.

Then Gunner called and said no, he got picked up standby. Apparently he was 5^th on the list and the COL and LTCOL's and MAJ ahead of him told the airlines to bump them and get him home. The airlines response…..we can't do that, you were first. They insisted, the airlines refused. Finally the stewardess said she could get them all on. Whew.

So with the delayed flight, the canceled flight, the standby flight, I was left with three hungry kids (Junior kept crawling up in random people's laps), a welcome home sign that Continental airlines donated the staples for since it had started to fall apart at the first airport, and a cell phone ringing off the hook. And what to my wondering eyes did appear?????

And so for now, our family is back together.

It's a boy!

My brother and his wife had a bouncing baby boy this morning!

He's perfect....

Major problems with daycare today and last friday. I just got home from delivering Abs to my mom for the rest of the week. It's just a crappy situation (daycare). Em doesn't want to go back either, but she doesn't have a choice right now. It's almost over for the summer. Gunner said that planes are backed up due to the US transporting Georgia troops back home because of the conflict there. I am just ready for him to be home, even if it is only for 18 days.

So ready.....

Hot, Hot, Hot

When Em was a baby we had a Sesame Street cd with that song on it. It's our new theme song here in Texas.

On Friday night, for the first time in I don't know how long, I went out. My fellow classmates and I went out to celebrate the last day of classes. With no stress, we played pool, shot darts, drank beer, and of course talked and talked and talked. We all come from such different walks of life, and although 8 months ago we had never met, we have now become great friends. Next week we start training, and while some of us are at the same schools, others are teaching the same grades at different schools and the sharing and networking has begun. I definitely couldn't have asked for a better group of people to be associated with and to spend all day every day with. I'll miss them, but our fall classes start up in September and most of them will be in training with me next week.

I got Em from camp on Saturday. It was so good to see her, even with her bandaged hand. Her hand is still really swollen, but she said it looked a ton better. Good thing I didn't see it after it had happened! She had a great time at Camp Pine Cove. It was a great place, and after getting hurt on the horse, she was scared to get back on, but they helped her conquer that fear. Thank goodness! She loved the zip line, the challenge course, the theme nights, swimming, pickle ball, arts and crafts, capture the flag, tons more, and the food was great to boot! At the end of the session they had a big closing ceremony, and then you could preregister for next year. This year Em went on a military scholarship, so we weren't sure how to fill out the form, since there is no way we can pay for this camp out of pocket--$800 a week! Ouch! So my friend sent her husband over to talk to the director and then he came back and told us what to put on the form.

While my friend and I were talking, a guy came over and started talking to her husband. He offered to pay the $125 deposit today because he had overheard that he was military and he wanted to thank him for his service. Talk about nice! Of course my friend's husband turned it down, but the thought that he was so generous, just warmed our hearts for the day.

We took Junior to the doctor today and he has another ear infection. Back on antibiotics. We hit HEB so I could grab stuff to make wraps. At school last week we had a chef come to our class and she made wraps with the kids, and they were so good. I've been wanting them again every since.

We got back, I made Dave's "lavosh" or however you spell it for lunch. They were in heaven. I put Junior down for a nap and then didn't have any homework to do, so I slept for two hours while the girls played quietly in their room. It was heaven.

We hit Kohl's this afternoon, and my two little fashion divas helped me pick out some clothes for work. We tried to find school uniforms, and I am hoping that I didn't miss the boat and can still find them. I really don't want to travel from store to store with three kiddos trying to track them down. Gunner's list?

The girls are hooked on H2O and it's kind of interesting. I really need a life, next thing you know I will be watching the new 90210.

The house cleaner comes back tomorrow! I wonder if I can make it without cooking till Gunner comes home. Yes, we are that close! I stocked up on oatmeal, made with flax seed, contains fruit, I use milk, add yogurt, and throw in some baby cereal with DHA for good measure. The kids love it and it has to be healthier than hotdogs and mac & cheese!

Last final

I had my last final today. Tomorrow I have our last day of teaching and a paper due. I at least made mine amusing for her since I know our prof is burned out too. It's just a reflection paper, my favorite kind as there is really no way to do it wrong.

Em comes home in two days. No more incidents at camp, so that's a good thing.

When Eduardo passed through town, Abs proceeded to give me an entire lesson on the history of the umbrella. I really didn't put much thought into why we have them, but now I know. It's amazing how much I learn from this kid.

If you ask Junior what his name is he will only reply with "me" and point at himself. I never say "hey me" so no telling where he picked this up from! It's cute though, and he named the bear Em got him from England "you". And what a pair "me" and "you" make.

Countdown for R&R is on. Hard to believe.

Training starts next week for school. My friend Mel asked me if there was ever a day I didn't worry.....ummmmm........probably not.

Oh, I hired someone to come clean my house, and I LOVE HER!!!! She's coming back on Monday to clean the kids' rooms. Yeah, I know they should clean their own, we'll get to that point, but right now I can't take it anymore. She's wonderful, did a great job so far, and I feel so much better when I am sitting here working since I don't have 5,000 other things that I need to be doing. I think I found my reward to myself.

You'll love this

I go to school today to pick up my classroom. Talk about bulletin boards, tons of them. No idea how I will get all this done.

I get out to my car after I am done and see my mom has called 4 times and there is a message. I call back and she starts off with "Em is okay". Never a good sign. Guess she hurt her hand at horseback riding today.

So I call the camp nurse and they have taken Em off to the er. She called during class to let me know that her hand was fractured--right hand and she's right handed--but that she was okay and already back to her camp activities with a splint on. The kiddo needs to up her calcium. we need to follow up with an orthopedic surgeon in the next 1-2 weeks, which means we have to go to the doctor and get a referral and then wait some more. Maybe I can add it to Gunner's list?

Here today…gone tomorrow

I saw Em briefly on Wednesday after she returned home from her three weeks in England. I picked her up on Friday after class and we spent the day getting our nails done, etc. Very nice and relaxing. Saturday I packed her up, and today I dropped her off at camp for a week. Camp Outback one of the Camp Pine Cove camps, gave a free session to military kids! Em didn't qualify for Camp Purple because she went last year, so we were really excited to find this camp. It was REALLY nice and not one we could afford since they are quoting $799 for one week next year. Ouch! But, it was all free, and they have so many things that they get to do. There is horseback riding, challenge course, wall climbing, water slides, zip lines, water activities, and tons, tons, tons, more. Her best friend Gwen is with her, and there were several other people that she knew as well.

When we drove up to camp, we were early (of course) and they had staff out on horses to go car to car to talk to the campers. When we drove through the gates, finally, they had tons of staff dancing and jumping around. It got Em even more excited. We had a counselor that followed our car, unpacked it, explained check in, and sent us on our way after a rousing welcome. I had never seen such enthusiasm in hundred degree heat!

We got Em checked in and settled in her cabin. Air conditioned thank goodness. I dropped her off at the pool where she passed the swim test with flying colors—guess the 10 weeks of lessons, hundreds of dollars and gallons of gas paid off. Tonight they were having a safari dinner and I am sure staying up late!

Abs has been such an angel lately. Calm before the storm? Sure hope not. When Em got back she did find that Abs had colored her carpet with a black marker. (Ata--According to Abs--she slipped)

Pics to come soon of the kiddos.

I went to the teacher supply store with my friend Mel on Saturday and was overwhelmed.

Junior is back on antibiotics, so he is in fighting form. So cute, so opinionated….must get that from his father.

Back to the books….

My crazy life

I'm on the home stretch with school! I still have a ton of homework to do, but knowing that I have a job makes everything worthwhile. I have a lot to do to get things ready for school too, and Gunner is due home in a few weeks for 18 days of R&R. He might get more rest in Iraq!

Junior's surgery had to be cancelled because it has only been two weeks since he had pneumonia. Of course they didn't want to give me any dates and I would have to wait to be called. I had been waiting since June 1st, so I started making calls, and if they couldn't help me, I went higher. I dealt with an absolutely amazing SSG in the patient liaison office, and he kept me informed, worked hard, and scheduled Junior's surgery for when Gunner would be home and his pre-op too. (Put that on Gunner's list)

The thingy you step on to get into the car is slightly skewed, but I haven't had a chance to take it in. (Let's put that on Gunner's list too)

Abs needs an EKG, but they only do them Friday mornings when I have class or training. (One more thing for Gunner's list)

Abs needs a follow up appt at the doctor but a parent has to take her since we will be talking about changing her medication. (One more for the list)

The kids need school supplies and uniforms. (I'll try to get this one, but might have to leave it to him)

His car needs an oil change which requires a trip to the dealer--don't even get me started on why we can't take it to one of those quick places, damn Saturn. (sounds like a fun trip for Gunner and the kids)

There's a few other dozen things that need to get done too. Not very relaxing, but I know Gunner will jump in with both feet and help get things done. Several times when he was home for a long weekend before he deployed, he would run around with me while I ran errands, drove kids around, etc. He was always in awe of how much I could accomplish in a short period of time to keep this family running. At least I know he appreciates me!

I'm sure we will mix in some fun activities like the water park, shopping, and the like. I can't wait, even if I will be working almost every day he is home.

I'm sailing along through SAIL. Today I had them paint the paper mache rats that I had them make the first day. Tomorrow we decorate them, so I'll be staying up half the night making whiskers out of fishing line and cutting cute little pink ears. They are so excited about it. My two lessons the other day went really well. the kids loved the treasure hunt and all of them could read a mad by the time we were done. The terrariums were a big hit as well and they can all describe the water cycle to me in detail. Next week it is butter, France, French words, nonstandard measurement with rats, and a graphic organizer thrown in for good measure.

Abs is doing okay. I went to pay for daycare yesterday and they told me that I couldn't pay with a credit card in the afternoon, only the morning. There was another lady there trying to pay and they told her the machine was down in the morning and try again in the afternoon. They told us we could pay the next day but there would be a late charge??? What??? I argued. I would be penalized because there machines don't work? It's a long drawn out story, but I don't think they are charging us a late fee now. I can't wait till they are out of there. They do a lot of fun activities, but the staff is not that great.

I saw Em the other day, home from her jaunt to the UK. I pick her up for good tomorrow and I can't wait to see all of her pictures and everything that she brought back. She had a great time!! I did find a message from her today when I got home from school and she was whispering, asking me for guitar lessons.

And I hiring a maid for my own sanity. I have to clean before I can let her in though....

Teaching

When I was researching alternative certification programs so that I could become a teacher, I had a few things that I was looking for. I needed one that would work with daycare, so I wasn't going at night, and I wanted one that was going to give me the most experience. Since I don't have to do student teaching, I selected the program that had a two week program where we taught. Sure it's not all day, but we have certain days that we do teach, so we spend our time preparing lesson plans, fillers, and handling classroom management.

Our two week program started today. My group chose the movie Ratatouille as our theme. This morning each one of the groups did a skit to try and entice the students to select our class. I was so worried about it, and worried about no one choosing us. We were the first group that filled up, and we have 8 cute little girls in our class. It's funny, because since we are in groups, Ms. J is a second grade teacher, I will teach 2nd grade, and our last partner is a junior high science teacher and football coach. He was totally overwhelmed with a class full of girls, since he has no idea what to do with them. It will all work out thought.

There are a lot of great groups, like grossology, a journey through Africa, Texas Indian Powow, Shrek's Trek, and more. The grossology group was sporting fake wounds today--my kids would have been all over that. We have gone to Explore UT several years in a row, and the first year we missed the fake wound booth. That's all the girls talked about for the next year until we could go again, and we had to be first in line for a wound. I'll have to find pictures, because by the time they left, one had a huge gash and a head injury, and the other had an open wound with a broken arm. My dainty delicate daughters.

Today I started the first step in our paper mache rat quest. I made one of my own, and it started out looking like a giant sperm. It now kind of looks like a cat, but the kids thought it looks like a rat and they were more excited about doing an arts and crafts project than anything.

I have a map lesson coming up, one on the water cycle where we will make terrariums, a walk through France where we will learn about the culture, trivia, learn some French words (I hope I am saying them correctly), make butter to eat with French bread, and non standard measurement with rats. We also have career day, rodents of the world, popcorn and the 5 senses, several reader's theater, and tons more. It should be a lot of fun, and I am kind of relieved we have all girls since Em and Abs have given me enough experience in that arena.

So, I have two more weeks left of school and then I start getting ready to teach with all the orientations, etc. I have no idea where to even start, so I am a little worried. Yes, it didn't take long and I found something else to worry about.

Saturdays

My inlaws dropped off our German breakfast. Yum.

We went to a wellness day through Scott and White, and it was pretty informative, and it was a great group of ladies that I got to spend some time with. One of them looked so familiar and it turns out that Junior and her daughter are in the same daycare and her son will be at the same school with the girls next year. Of course once they got the kids back together with the parents and served pizza, all the kids were busy eating....except mine, who decided it was time to cry. Junior was tired. Abs drew a picture that wasn't perfect....the list went on. Finally got them fed and watered and home. Junior's nap was heaven and I even got to sleep a little.

This afternoon we headed over to the new Target. I actually went there because I was looking for something, but the rest of the Killeen was there to check out the new facility I think. There's not a whole lot to go on in Killeen, so a new store or restaurant apparently requires the attendance of all. I can't wait till Barnes and Noble opens. I also saw that Cracker Barrell is coming along, and there will be a Chipotle. Not the healthiest of choices, but any kind of new choice in restaurants is welcome here! I'd love to get a good mexican restaurant.

No word from Gunner. At the meeting today, some of the wives heard from their husbands every day, and one more than twice a day. A friend of mine will freak out if her husband doesn't call at least every three days, and call the FRG leader. Someone asked me why I don't freak out more....umm.....what is there to freak out about? Please tell me I am not the only one that doesn't wait by the phone or curl up and die inside if they don't hear from their spouse. (Gunner, if you are reading this, ignore the previous paragraph, I am waiting by the phone with bated breath for your phone call, and I spend all day worrying about you and declaring my undying love for you. lol You know how I really feel. :)

I ate tongue

One of my best friends here at Hood, Mel, is hispanic. She is funny, hard working, and a lot like me. We are involved in the same program to become teachers, and we have spent all summer together, all.day.long. She makes me laugh, motivates me, challenges me, and drives me crazy sometimes. This morning she called me to ask me if I wanted a breakfast burrito from the taqueria. My reply, "Sure as long as you aren't trying to feed me tongue." I just said it in passing, I had no idea that she really ate tongue in her burritos. Shoot, I didn't think anyone ate that stuff. I can pretty much eat anything--but celery, raw broccoli, raw cauliflower, and chow mein noodles mixed with turkey and mayo. Blech.

So Mel shows up at school today with tongue burritos. I ate it. I even ate a second one. It tasted just like roast, minus the thought that I was eating a big, thick, cow's tongue. Once I got over the visual, I actually enjoyed it. Who would have thought!

Tonight we went to dinner with the outlaws. They have been on their best behavior. It could have something to do with their son coming home on R&R and they want to see him, but I would like to think that they are learning to deal with me. (I reminded them tonight that I had been with their son almost as long as he lived at home!) Anyway, within 10 minutes of arriving Abs and Junior are crying. I take Abs out and they get Junior calmed down. It is a small Italian restaurant, and of course they had to sit us in the middle of the restaurant. All eyes were on us.

Once Abs calmed down we returned inside. Andrew was in a crabby mood, but made it through dinner while sitting on my lap. Small price to pay. I found out that daycare had called my MIL because Abs was out of sunscreen. My MIL was nearby and picked up some more and dropped it off. They gave her the bottle that Abs had there...she had filled it with water. What goes through her mind???

Earlier this week Ab's grade level went on a field trip to Wonder World. The were waiting outside the antigravity room, and all the kids were screeching with delight about being able to float in the air. Ab's response was "People, it's antigravity, not zero gravity."

Em should be back in the States next week. I got an email from my mom today that said "Em is making herself at home on another computer and I can't watch her. She thinks she is very independent. Good luck when she gets back." This should be fun. She went on to tell me that she has her father's sweet tooth, but did eat 8 pear halves for breakfast--that's 4 pears. Can we say--runs?

We are plugging away here. Abs and I planted zucchini--late in the season I know--and it is already growing like crazy. Tonight after dinner we put Junior down and then she helped me make a paper mache rat. Our theme for our classes these next two weeks are rats. I never knew I would be so excited to see gummy rats at the dollar store, I bought a ton for my nonstandard measurement lesson.

I'm off to find a map of France!

Woohoo!

I got a job! I'll be teaching 2nd grade next year!!!

I wonder what I can worry about next.....

Why oh why

Since the dawn of man, my husband has been paid once a month.

They are changing that and I was informed that they will require EVERYONE to get paid twice a month.

Why mess with a good thing. I like knowing it all comes at once and I have to make it last all month long. It's a game to me, and the more I end up with at the end of the month, the happier I am. Maybe I'm the only one?

Nothing new & then some...

Still plugging away in school.

Junior seems to be doing much better.

I am healed....knock on wood.

No word from Gunner. His chain of command was working to change leave since there was no point in him coming home if we are in school all day.

Still no job, so maybe I won't be in school all day, lol.

The one thing I like about my program (well, one of the many) is that they introduce me to things I need. I absolutely LOVE the ped-egg. It works wonders on my dry feet. Of course they also introduced me to Skinny Bitch and now everytime I eat I think about what I read. Thanks a lot. As if we didn't have enough to do with school, we are now pouring over labels seeing what kind of crap we are putting in our bodies. There's no way I can be vegan, but I did make stir fry using tofu last night, and Abs was in heaven. Yes, my 7 year old daughter inhaled over a cup and a half of tofu and declared it delicious. Tomorrow we are having black beans so Abs decided it was the perfect time to describe our digestive tract and how it worked. A friend at school showed me a great Grossology book and I think it will be on Ab's list for Christmas.

Em is still on vacation for another week. They are in London now, and she seems to be enjoying herself. On the bright side, I got a message today from her and it was not in pig latin. Apparently she made a friend in Oxford who taught her pig latin, so I had to learn to decipher it quickly in order to read her emails. The kid cracks me up. They visited Windsor Castle today and the guard winked at her. How's that for providing me with lots of information!

Found the cutest shirt for Junior. Hopefully pictures will follow soon.

Military Spouse Contest

Phyllis, over at mrslieutenant.com is co-sponsoring a contest with yourmilitary.com for military spouses. The contest is "Tell -Your-Own-Story" and the deadline is July 31st with prizes being awarded from Phyllis Zimble Miller and Lifetime is providing prizes from ARMY WIVES as well!

They are looking for your "Happies or Saddest or Most Significant Moment while your husband/wife served on active duty"--hmmmmm.....I think I have a few million of those!

The prizes are great, so head on over there, check it out, and good luck!!! Can't wait to hear your stories!

More lessons learned

Last night I was still sick--I really think it is something that I am eating--and I left the vaseline out and open after getting Junior ready for bed. He apparently found the vaseline and wiped it all over himself just like I do. He still had his pajamas on which made for a greasy mess. He kept saying "I lubed up".

When I went to pick up Abs yesterday from daycare, one of the kids told me as I was walking in that Abs got in trouble for giving mouth-to-mouth. Are you kidding me? So I sign her out and there is a note that I need to see the staff. I go to one of the staff and ask what it is about and she tells me that she has no idea and that I should see the staff at the front desk. So I go to the front desk and she has no idea, so she asks the ladies behind the counter. They continue their discussion on what so and so wore to church last week and I waited and I waited and I waited. Finally I gave up, let the lady know that they could call me if it was that important, and left. I think I am afraid to know!

We went to the mall this morning so I could get a few things. Abs was not on her medication and was ALL OVER the place. The employees at Dillards fell in love with her and next thing I know Abs has them convinced to put on a puppet show by moving the mannequins. The mannequins started moving and talking to her and she was delighted and the employees were having a great time. Then she had to act like a mannequin, it was the stillest she was the entire visit.

Junior is down for a nap and Abs is in her room for a bit. Total silence, so time to crank out some homework. I bought a science experiment book and Abs is fascinated with the thing. I found her last night with a flashlight reading it. She has almost read it cover to cover (it's pretty thick) and I think once she is done we will do a couple of experiments out of there for kicks.

I got a bath last night (thanks Marilyn!) and Abs and I are about to start on a Mother Daughter book club that Marilyn sent us too! There are several different books in there, but I think we will start out with Anne Frank since Abs is fascinated by the "hellacaust" as she calls it. My mom took Em to the Holocaust museum in Houston and she still talks about it. Abs wants to go as well, and we took them into "Daniel's Story" in DC, but we didn't think that they were ready for the whole museum. I still remember visiting Dachau when we were stationed in Germany. No words.

I have a day of R&R scheduled for next Saturday, and they are taking the kids for me and serving lunch and snacks. Not sure what else will be going on, but I'm willing to check it out!

Off to write lesson plans about maps, treasure hunts, rats, nonstandard measurement, rodents of the world, France and more!

Still alive & random thoughts

After me being sick for the last few days, I thought the weekend would never come. I'm sure mine is stress related, but I am feeling much better. Maybe because I just have to do homework all weekend and work tomorrow?


When I had Junior in the er on Sunday and Monday, I told them that amoxicillian would not work, but they of course didn't listen. I took Junior to the doctor today, and his left ear is worse and his pneumonia is too. They don't think he needs to be hospitalized yet since I am pretty vigilant, which is reassuring. I explained to the doctor why I did not think that the amoxicillian would work, and since he had been on it for 6 doses, he agreed. He gave me another medication to try, so I am hoping that my baby boy will be back in fighting form soon. Poor baby...


Abs is missing her sister. I am also missing my alarm--"Mommy, Abs is out of her room!". So far Abs has found rubber cement which she used to paint with--I didn't even know we had any. She rifled through the drawers in my bathroom, but I don't think she found anything interesting to play with/destroy. Abs is great with her brother and adores him, which is nice. When we go drop Junior off in the morning at daycare, I have to pry her out of his room since she loves it in there.


I had a 45 minutes presentation the other day in my educational psychology class. I HATE public speaking. I was so worked up about it, but luckily it was on Montessori and since Abs went there for a year and we loved it, I talked for over half an hour on it and my friend was able to do the beginning of the presentation. Our professor doesn't hand out super high grades, so we were shocked and excited to get a 100! My classmates told me that they won't listen to me complain about not being good at public speaking anymore since they know differently.

Junior thinks his blue "fuffy" is a yellow blankey like Baby Bop's.


We were at the pharmacy on Monday night and Junior was convinced that the picture of the black guy on the wall was his daddy. Today, every time we saw a Soldier, he called them "daddy". One Soldier came up to him at the pharmacy and spent a few minutes playing with him and talking to him. It was so sweet and Junior loved the interaction with a male. He doesn't get much of that.


I talked to Gunner online today. All is well in his neck of the woods. He sent two pictures so we could see his smiling face.

He looks good and strong...Army Strong. When did they start putting the logo on their gear?

We should own stock in pedialyte. My FIL traveled around to all the stores till he found the flavors that Junior liked and he bought them all and dropped them off for me. Huge help!

Tons of schoolwork to do this weekend, but we are on the home stretch!

Adventures of Sick Boy and Mud Girl

This morning Junior woke up with no fever. Strange. I gave him his medicine, motrin as a precaution, and took him into daycare. He seemed okay. During my break, I called and FINALLY scheduled his surgery for the 5th of August. I then asked if the doctor could call me back and put Junior on a low dose of antibiotics till his surgery. The doctor called right back and did what I asked. All was good. I am back in class and my phone rings. It's Gunner's Dad, Opa. Opa tells me that Junior is running a fever and that Oma is going to go get him but she needs a carseat.

So I give directions to where I am, and assume that she will be by shortly. I wait, and nothing. I get a call from daycare. They are in a panic and tell me that Junior's fever is over 102.5, rising and his fingertips are turning blue. He's also having problems breathing and his heart is racing. They say he needs to go to the er immediately by ambulance.

So I run into class....of course I am crying by this point....and grab my stuff and run. We are at the er and Junior now has a fever of 104.7 and his pulse is over 200. They give him tylenol and motrin. So what do they do with us????? They send us back out into the waiting room and tell me that if he starts to have a seizure to get them. I was floored.

So we are in the waiting room (praying that my son doesn't have a seizure), and Junior is sitting there quietly in the stroller. I'm busy watching all the people and holding his hand. There was a guy (I think retired) and his three or four kids that he wasn't watching, being loud and obnoxious. This comes into play later.

They buzz me up to the counter and tell me that I need to take Junior to get a chest xray. By this time my MIL and FIL show up. My MIL took so long to get to Junior because.........she had to wash her hair first. Give me a break. Anyway, we get an xray done and go back to waiting. While waiting, my MIL realizes that she lost Junior's hospital bracelet. So she told me to go retrace her steps and find it because Junior is Oma's boy and she needs to be with him. I do not carry a concealed weapon for a reason.

I send Opa to get Abs from daycare and Oma heads off to work. I sit there waiting, watching obnoxious guy and his obnoxious kids. I finally get called back and get the room right next to obnoxious guy. We wait forever. They finally come and tell me that Junior has pneumonia and a double ear infection. The PA was great, but had to be followed up by the doctor--yeah, he just happened to be the same one that sent us home the previous night. He looked embarrassed, but he didn't apologize at all. Jerk.

Then there is tons of noise from next door, our door is slammed shut, and Junior and I are lying on the exam table singing barney songs over and over and over again. I scrounged up a roll of crushed stale ritz crackers and a warm bottle of water and we had a feast. So then we spend another hour waiting and the nurse finally comes in to take Junior's temp again, which is down to 100.5 on motrin and tylenol. She gives him a Popsicle and we wait some more. Finally the PA comes back with the discharge stuff, and tells us that there was a huge problem and she apologizes for it taking so long. We go to leave and the obnoxious guy is surrounded by MP's. We get down to the pharmacy where obnoxious guy is escorted to pickup some prescriptions. I asked the guy next to me what happened, and apparently we were locked in the er because the guy went crazy and started screaming and yelling and punching things, apparently making threats towards the PA, etc. MP's got called, and they got him under control. Can't I have a boring hospital visit???

Our number finally got called for the pharmacy and they gave me the prescription that the ENT wrote for his ear infection. I asked him if it should say pneumonia on it, and if that would cause problems later, etc. He got really defensive and said some not so nice things to me. Of course I had to respond.

So we finally get out of there, and I call Opa to have him meet us at the house. He had fed Abs and so I was hoping to put her straight to bed and then feed Junior, myself, do hours of studying and get to bed before midnight. I pull up to the house to find Abs caked in mud from head to toe. I thought I was going to lose it! Any other time I wouldn't have cared, but I had been so stressed and was hungry, tired, and everything else. I wanted to get them into bed so I could do what I needed to do. Instead Opa had let Abs play in the mud. I didn't have a problem with her playing in the mud, but did she need to rub it all over her body? Did she need to get it all in her shoes? Hair? This is Abs, every single pore was covered and then some. If only I had had my camera charged. She could have been my WW this week.

So now mud girl and sick boy are tucked into bed. I scrounged up a sandwich. My homework is calling my name......

P.S. I a very grateful that my inlaws were there to help me up, even if it didn't sound like it. They bought a carseat tonight to put in their car so that they can pick him up without having to bother me. (I envision them forgetting to tell me that they have picked him up because he was sick and I can't find him) Oma is keeping Junior tomorrow, and I know he will be well loved and well taken care of. They did drop everything to help me (after her hair was washed) and I do appreciate that!! I have to keep reminding myself that they grew up totally different than I did or my parents and that makes a difference....and it keeps things interesting.

P.P.S. Gunner, I think when you come home for good I am going to deploy to a hotel for a few days, and you can't call your mom to come help you! Sad thing is, I know I would miss them terribly (& you) and I would worry the whole time, so I wouldn't enjoy it. Now Vegas on the other hand....lol.....

Sick Baby

He was doing okay this morning, but he took an extra long nap and woke up screaming about his ears. Off to the doctor we go. We get there two minutes before they close at the weekend clinic--and there is no one there--and the lady looks at me, and tells me that I'll have to call tomorrow to get an appointment. I have an obviously sick kid in my arms. I told her I would just go to the er and took off. So we head to the er and get in there when Abs decides that she is tired of being good. So I have two screaming kids. Junior has an infection in his eustachian tube, but they don't want to put him on antibiotics. So I get him home, he's shivering, I give him a bath since he is filthy, and he got dressed and fell asleep on the living room floor. Poor baby.

On the bath front--he did okay in the bath tonight. I got some of the foam soap as my friend Catherine suggested, and he was fine in the tub until he got some of the foam on him and then he freaked out. Wish he would make up his mind!!! Abs is in the tub right now and so I am sure that bottle of foam is gone...

UPDATE:

As soon as I typed that, I went to get Abs out of the tub and I felt Junior's forehead and he was burning up. So now I have a super sick baby. Will he/we ever catch a break????

Feng Shui my life

I was talking to my friend Jessie last night and she was giving me some feng shui advice, so today will be spent taking it and running with it. Our health corner is junked up with toys and goodness knows we need help in that area for little man.

I'm also contemplating taking him to the doctor today. I hate to not take him and then have to hit the er during the week. I also need to clean Junior's room so that I can walk in there. He has the tiniest room and since my FIL put the toddler bed in there, and the crib and stuff are still in there, you can barely squeeze through. I'm still not ready for him to go to the toddler bed yet though.

New story of Em up......

Talked to Gunner yesterday for quite a while. He looks good, mail is slow, and they have a new Iraqi Army to train. He told me once that the IA always tells him that "Allah blesses you" because he has three children. Then they go on to tell him to have more and more and they puff out their chests with pride at the 6, 8, 10 or more kids that they have. Gunner just shakes his head. Guess they don't have a waiting list for vasectomies like they do over here.

News from England

Not being able to talk to Em while she is in England, is killing me! I'm curious to know about everything she is doing and her reaction to everything....okay maybe I would get more information from talking to my mom. My mom updated her blog and there are a few stories about their trip so far.....Read here. In one email my mom reported that the other day three little boys were fighting to sit next to Em. She's oblivious to it all, so don't worry Gunner!

The difference 15 years makes

15 years ago on a friday night I would have:
just woken up from a nap
called some friends
made plans
showered
gotten dressed
gone to dinner
gone out
come home late
sleep in
spend the next day studying

this friday night:
picked up two kids from daycare
made dinner
changed a poopy diaper--it's bad I am hoping it doesn't mean the sick diet is around the corner for the rest of us
cleaned the fridge
read stories
put kids to bed
started on homework

How has your life changed in 15 years?

New Session, new attitude?

Well it's a new summer session, but don't hold your breath on the attitude. Still trying to be optimistic about a job.

In other news....

Junior is freaked out by baths. Nothing has changed, but he screams and screams and screams and nothing will make him happy. He's in there for about 30 seconds, and I don't give him a bath every day either. No idea what is wrong, but hopefully he will grow out of it and fast! The shots of antibiotics seem to be working so that is a good thing. Hopefully we get a surgery date soon.

Em and my mom arrived in the UK and everything is fine. That's all I know so far. I'm jealous, but glad that Em gets to go.

Abs came out of my bathroom the other day--which she is still banned from--and she had put on deodorant, at least that is what she said. I went in there and she had also put deodorant all over the bathroom walls. My bathroom now smells powder fresh.

Gunner is keeping busy and finally called after almost two weeks. Still much better contact than we had the first two times he was there. He will have been gone 4 months this Saturday. Hard to believe in some respects, and seems like much much longer in others. 47 trash days left.

On a bright note--I found someone to mow my front, side and backyard, plus weedeat, and they blew off all the grass from the patio, driveway, walkway and porch for.......$13!

Off to study....

Kids

My mom kept the kids Saturday night. Read the story and see the pics here. I'm sure my mom is ready for Abs to lose the pink cowboy boots.

Weekend Clinics

It's sad when they recognize you there. Thankfully they have them though and we don't have to sit in the ER all day and night. I took Junior in today and they decided to give him a shot of antibiotics. They said it was super strong and should knock out everything, but we have to follow up tomorrow with the doctor to see if they want to give him a second shot. Poor baby.

While we were at the clinic they convinced me to get seen and I walked out of there on antibiotics after having a chest xray. Hopefully I start feeling better since I have finals this week!

Yesterday we were at the store and I had Junior in the ergo. He was fussy so I was kind of bobbing around and some strange woman walked up to me and told me "I bet your husband likes you moving up and down like that!" What the heck? And this random stranger felt it necessary to share this with me for what reason??

Em leaves on Tuesday for the UK on her big trip. She is so excited and I can't wait to hear all about it although I will miss her terribly. I'm sure Abs will keep things interesting though.

And I know I have a 2 year old since every other word he says is no, no, no, no, no, no. Sometimes I have him repeat after me and we just say yes over and over again for a change of pace.

Back to the grind....

Happy 4th of July!

We did nothing today but clean, I studied, kids read, played, watched a movie. We had an all American dinner of tomato soup and grilled cheese. Hey, they requested it, how could I deny them?

Not much to blog about...

We went to a rodeo last night.
Em has shaved the outside of her eyebrows off...she denies that she did anything, but I couldn't figure out why they were not very wide and looked funny, so I had to take a closer look.
I spent most of the day with Abs on Thursday. I thought my ears were going to fall off from all the talking she did. She was not quiet more than 20 seconds. She even narrated the movie I let her watch.
I think Junior has another ear infection so we will probably hit the doctor on Sunday if he gets worse. Poor kiddo.
My mom is keeping the girls saturday night. I wish it was all three so I could crank out all my homework!
Talked to Gunner tonight on the computer, and Junior sang him songs. So cute. Junior was mesmerized watching his dad on the screen.
Our backyard is the perfect spot to view the fireworks put on by Fort Hood. The kids loved it, although Abs thought that they should form Greek Gods that were fighting mythical creatures. She also thought that they needed to have the Statue of Liberty up there too with her tablet and she proceeded to give us a history lesson on the Statue of Liberty and American Independence. Emily spent the entire time stating that all the loud fireworks were whiny like her sister. Junior kept singing "I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee".

Never a dull moment.

Happy 4th of July!

Free Welcome Home Sign!

Jump on this while it is still available! Buildasign is offering a free banner to welcome home your Soldier. You have to pay for shipping which is almost $7, but that's nothing when you think about how much these signs cost. Hopefully someone will find this link useful!

Plugging Along

I broke down and bought a new laptop and it is wonderful and has cut my workload in half because I don't have to wait on my other computer to think between each keystroke. I wish it would write papers for me too.

Gunner called on Junior's birthday and it looks like R&R might be as early as next month! I'm glad in a way, but that is a long 10 months after he goes back. I told Em that he might come home soon, but he would have 10 months after he left again, and she said "Okay, we'll be fine mommy, we always are." I'm glad she has confidence!

A friend's husband deployed last Thursday to Afghanistan. Saturday she got a ticket and on Monday she was rear ended and her car totaled. She has 4 children too. Makes my life seem pretty sane.

Next week I am done with the first term of summer school. Still unemployed, still worried about it. Apparently my program will let me start working either in December or next school year with minimal penalty. The problem with that is that Gunner will be home and we could PCS to Carson and then I am totally out everything I have spent or we are separated for two years, and that's not going to happen! By the time we could get to Carson if I stayed here, he would surely deploy again and that would make it three years. Yeah, I am a bundle of optimism these days.

The kids are doing fine. Junior is on antibiotics still and still no surgery date yet. They said they would call mid-July for an August date. How's that for speedy service? Em is leaving next week for 3 ½ weeks in England with my mom—I'm very jealous. I need to get her packed and ready to go. Abs has managed to not kiss any little boys lately and so far I haven't received any complaints from daycare. She spent the day at the waterpark so she even fell asleep before 9 tonight! Wish they would wear her out that much every night!

I haven't heard from Gunner since Junior's birthday, but I do think we might be down to 49 trash days this Thursday? I better figure that out so I have something to look forward to.

Homework is screaming my name….

Horse Whisperer

He absolutely loved the horse and cried and cried when he got off. It didn't take long for everyone to guess how old he was.

A natural after a week at horse camp!

She was so serious and quiet!

My friend Melinda took this picture. I don't know what Junior was doing with his mouth.

We had a great time and the 40% chance of rain never materialized. The area was beautiful and they had a really nice ranch house. It was air conditioned so that is where Abs wanted to hang out all the time. They also had a stocked pond, but we didn't try our hand at fishing this time. Maybe next time since he invited us back!

Happy Birthday!!!

Junior turned two yesterday. The first time I sang Happy Birthday to him, he kept saying "No Happy Birthday". By the end of the day he was screeching "Happy Birthday to me!". He's so cute and growing up toooooo fast!

Another day in the life of Me

I went to the dermatologist.

Picked up Abbie's prescription. The doctor had been on vacation and so I was sending her to school on no medication. Mental note--this is not a good idea.

Came home, took a much needed nap. Went to class. Had presentation.

I went to pick up Junior and walked in on him chomping down on some kid. Great. Even better--that was his third incident for the day. He felt the need to chomp down on two other kids as well.

Then I go get Abs, and got a notice that she was going to be suspended. I about lost it. Apparently she gave a boy a peck on the cheek. Then later someone said she spit on the chair while in the bus, a few drops and none of it touched the kid.

Okay, she shouldn't kiss a boy and she shouldn't spit. But be suspended for THAT? Give me a break. I wrote on the comment section. Probably not a good idea when I am upset. Then I talked to one of the teachers, and told her that it was unacceptable. At no time did Abs put anyone in danger and this was the FIRST time that she did ANYTHING, and I wasn't in the position to be able to pick her up on a whim because they thought they had a kissing bandit on their hands. I asked her if Abs hurt anyone? No. Did she tie the boy down? No. Did she at any time put anyone's life in danger? No. I asked a bunch of other questions, and then told her that I would talk to Abs, but I wasn't about to be threatened and have more stress added to my life because of them. She agreed that the threat at the bottom of the page was excessive and said she would talk to the director. I would have done it myself if I hadn't been on the verge of tears.

Not like I haven't spent the last two days crying anyway. Geez.

First presentation I started crying before I got up there. Luckily this was the class where I like the professor. I got it together and my presentation was okay (of course I am my own worst critic!), my friends said it was good. Must have been the water cycle song. LOL My Aunt ME has been a lifesaver through all of this. She is brilliant!

I don't know what my deal is lately. Doesn't help that it's been a week since I have heard from Gunner. I know he's busy, but I got used to being in pretty constant communication with him, and I just needed to talk to him this week. I know we made it to the one year left mark, but that just made it feel like it's still a lifetime till he comes home.

Still no job. And don't even get me started right now on one of the teachers I have this term.

On the bright side, I got a box in the mail today from someone that adopted Chris! It was a total surprise and made my day! Inside were four wrapped packages--one for me, two for the kids, and one for all of us. Can't wait to unwrap them and see! She mentioned how Abraham Lincoln said to take care of the families left behind, and so that she did! Did I mention that it made my day? Thanks so much Marilyn! Your kindness means the world to me.

UPDATE: Gunner called 7 times. Of course all 7 times I couldn't understand a lick of what he said, and the last time where I actually heard him say hello, we got disconnected. He didn't try again. Can't say that I blame him, but maybe tomorrow he will get through. And hopefully his son won't bite. And his daughter won't kiss any boys.

P.S. I sent Abs to her room when we got home and no one could watch tv today while I made dinner. (Mean mom, I know, I know) Abs showed up to dinner with a pile of makeup on her face and mascara all over her eyes. There went the other half of the bottle....

Money down the drain

I wonder if there is a song about that? If there is, Abs should have been singing it as she was pouring my Estee Lauder makeup down the sink. And her sister left her chapstick in there too, and that is now ruined. I don't know how she managed to sneak in there.

Em was going to NASA today on a field trip and it is 10:10 and she still isn't home. My FIL is picking her up--yes, being the anal person that I am, I did call to make sure that he was standing outside the building.

Junior went to the doctor yesterday and they upped his medicine. He's not on antibiotics right now, but they gave me a prescription to fill and keep on hand since we know it will progress to an ear infection. Right now they are hoping that it will just not get worse. Poor kiddo. Still waiting on ENT to call me, since I called them and they assured me that they would call soon. I will call again tomorrow.

I have two presentations tomorrow. If anyone knows me, they know that public speaking is not my thing. I can talk in front of kids, but not adults. I had to put it away, and will wing it and hope for the best. The more I work on it the worse I get. I am teaching a water cycle song too, and I told my friend that if my presentation doesn't last 5 minutes we are going to sing the song over and over and over. I'm sure they will love that!

No word from Gunner in a long while. If I wasn't so busy, it would bother me. I know he is busy and that the internet connection was in and out, so I'll wait. Gunner, if you are out there, call home!!!

Saturday Erin had to take a test for her teaching certification, at Baylor. They have a great children's museum up there so I took my three and her two up there. I actually came out with my hair still intact too! It really wasn't that bad because Junior is really good about keeping up with his sisters and moving on when they did. Tucker was a dream, and Scout Jr. is just as sweet as can be! The car ride home was a whole other can of worms. Erin shot some video so maybe she will get to posting it in the near future. Just imagine three crying kids and one saying "I think I am going to be sick..." Never a dull moment. Erin and I could do nothing else but laugh. Such is our life....

School is getting somewhat better. Once I have these two presentations over, I will be a little ahead of the game. I did break down and buy a laptop and that cut my workload in half. I was spending hours trying to format papers APA style (shows how old I am, we still used MLA or something like that the last time I was in school) and there was such a delay in typing. I was able to crank out 4 items in one evening, which would have had taken me days before. I am not one to make impulse purchases, but I was in tears Thursday after class and just did it. It does the bare minimum, but it works for me.

And I never thought I would get my daughter a cell phone, but it is 10:20 and Em should have been home and fast asleep already.

Drowning

I went from overwhelmed, to drowning. And fast. I have so many things to get accomplished this weekend, in addition to picking up Em from camp, getting Junior to the doctor for another ear infection, taking the kids to the Mayborn museum, picking up a prescription and getting it filled, cleaning, eating, taking care of kids and more. Where's Gunner when I need him?

My inlaws have booked a bowling party at the bowling alley for Junior. Then they call to tell me that I am supposed to have 10 children come. I don't even know 10 children to invite. I guess my three take care of a third of it, but still. Anyone want to go bowling? I don't want him to have any presents, so the whole idea that a 2 year old needs a party is ridiculous to me. I'd be happy having cake and ice cream at the house. Ugh. Where's Gunner when I need him????

My computer is acting up and won't install word 2007 and I can't figure out what the problem is. It would make my life so much easier if I could get it on there and do my homework quickly instead of fighting with the stupid computer all the time. I wish I had time to take it in, but I don't even have time for that. Maybe I can find someone that makes housecalls or something. Where's Gunner when I need him?

Off to lab......

Hmmmmm

My schedule, for Gunner:
1. Get up, get dressed, get a drink, brush my teeth, check email.
2. Get Abs up. Give Abs her medicine. Listen to her whine about how cold it is, how early it is, how tired she is.
3. Remind Abs that she chose to not go to sleep and that she better get up, potty, get dressed before I take her out to the car again in her underwear. (Yes, I took her in her underwear on Monday)
4. All the screeching has woken Junior up.
5. Go get Junior. He greets me with "I waked up mommy!" and a huge smile.
6. Get Junior dressed. Continue reminding Abs that her time is wasting.
7. Get Junior situated with a book while I give him his medicine.
8. Continue listening to Abs.
9. Get things ready for daycare.
10. Abs finally gets dressed.
11. Load car.
12. Drop off Junior.
13. Drop off Abs. They have her signed in as Em this week. Correct that.
14. Come home. Make lunch, pack bags, head to school.
15. Computer lab. Finish project. Get assignment.
16. Class. Take phone call from Ab's doctor.
17. More class. Squeeze in lunch during lecture and classwork.
18. Move to a different class. Get some clarity on the projects due in a few days. No time to do them though.
19. Leave class, go home, research book for literacy group project (Grrrr on group projects).
20. Go get Junior.
21. Go get Abs. Talk to friend in program with me.
22. Go pickup Rosa's since I am not cooking.
23. Eat, clean.
24. Change poopy diaper.
25. Bathe Junior.
26. Clean poop out of tub because Junior decides that's a great place to go.
27. Clean tub. Put Abs in shower. She empties entire bottle of shampoo and has a bubble shower.
28. Dress Junior, give him medicine, read him stories. Put Junior to bed.
29. Plow through bubbles to find Abs. Get her dressed for bed, read stories, tuck her in.
30. Talk to fell group member about project and plan of attack since we have 6 major things due Monday and Tuesday, plus exams.
31. Read blogs before I study.
32. Study, study, study, then shower, fall into bed, repeat, but usually with far more mishaps and drama.
This was a slow day. I hope I didn't just jinkx myself for tomorrow.

Doctors don't call

I was in between classes this afternoon and I checked my cell and noticed that I had a missed phone call. I listened to the voicemail and I couldn't understand most of it, but it was a CPT so and so and they gave me their government cell number. My heart stopped. I knew Gunner was alive, but they always notified injuries by phone the last two deployments and I knew that Gunner was out today. I called and it was the doctor that I saw on friday telling me that I had strep. My heart started beating again. Fortunately it is the kind of strep that doesn't hurt your heart, so they don't treat it. The thought of trying to fit going to the pharmacy in somewhere was nervewracking too!

I had my first interview today and the principal and all the teachers were absolutely wonderful. They interviewed all day, and the person before me walked in with a HUGE portfolio of her lesson plans. Ummm......yeah, I don't have anything like that. I thought it went okay, and I am hopeful that they liked me, and since I made them laugh, it has to count for something, right? I was the last person to be interviewed and then they were making a decision and then it goes to HR. I am trying to be optimistic, but the glass is look half empty right now. I do have another interview on Friday too.

I dropped Em off at GS camp yesterday, and when I drove away my super shy daughter was playing in the dirt by herself. I wanted to run back there and grab her and load her back up, but she wouldn't have gone. I'm sure she is doing fine right now. Every time I worry, she comes back with wonderful stories, so I know she will be okay and will make some friend. I was/still am shy, so I understand. Not sure where Abs got her ability to talk to anything that breathes and even stuff that doesn't.

Tons to do for school. Projects are coming fast and furious. My weekend is already booked, and that's not even scheduling my group work. Thankfully my friend is my partner and has no kids, so coming over here isn't a big deal. Shoot, I better start cleaning.....

Proud?

I didn't have class today, so I ran Abs this morning to the urologist for her checkup. We are progressing along nicely and we are going to try some new things. Let's hope they work!

I managed to study, write some reports, do some research and take an hour nap. It was heavenly.

The girls spent the day at the lake and had a great time, despite being forced to wear a life jacket. While Abs was still there, her little friend down the street kept coming over wanting to know if Abs was able to come for a sleepover.

Once Abs came home and packed, she was ready to go. I called a few minutes ago to checkup on her, and make sure that the neighbor's house was still standing. It is. She told me that Abs played in the water, ate pizza and was watching a movie. I was relieved. My relief was short lived when I found out that Abs decided it was time to cut her toenails right then and there. She said they gave her a pair of clippers after she wiped them down with alcohol and Abs had made herself at home and was clipping her toenails on their couch. Hmmmm...now I know why she usually only spends the night with my mom...

Did you know?

Apparently my daughter is the only one without a Nintendo DS? Are you serious? They were allowed to take a gaming system on the bus ride today so I sent her with Gunner's old nintendo something or another. It wasn't the first one, but the second. I thought I was scoring cool mom points. Apparently hers won't allow her to text with other people. She was so excited about them, and was so happy I let her take that one, but I know she really wants the DS. Then I did a google search to check prices, and no wonder these people have no money. They are expensive!!! Sorry kiddo, I'm investing in your education and my retirement.

I don't have class tomorrow, so I celebrated by having a beer. Then I fell asleep on the couch. I'm a load of fun, aren't I? I remember nights when Gunner and I would go to bed and realize that it was 9:30 on a friday night. Does that make us officially old?

I aced my test today, I think. Scored two interviews. Made a doctor's appointment because my throat is killing me now--I'm convinced I have strep. I called about Junior's surgery and they told me he isn't on the schedule yet. We'll be in the weekend clinic for sure.

I just realized that I have to pick Em up from camp and Abs doesn't get home from daycamp till the same time. Of course the pick up spots are about 3 hours apart. What was that movie where the guy cloned himself so he could get everything done? It's looking really good right about now.

No word from Gunner lately, but I'm sure he will call tomorrow. (yes, that was a hint Gunner!)

Sleep is a crutch

but I sure need some.

Em left this morning on a field trip which meant that we all had to get up and dressed at 5:30 this morning. She won't even be back till 9 tonight, but thankfully I have a friend who is picking her up and dropping her off.

Abs is convinced that she doesn't get to do anything fun. Never mind that she has been skating, bowling, Houston and is swimming tomorrow.

Junior is still on antibiotics, but I think he still has an ear infection. ENT hasn't called to setup his surgery so I need to call them today.

I'm in my computer lab today and will hopefully not fall asleep. Class till late. Thank goodness I have tomorrow off. After Ab's appointment and my own, I am sleeping! Em leaves for camp on Sunday though, so I have to get her packed up for that as well. Maybe next week I can sleep...or next year....

Abs

My mom took Abs last week for three days to Houston.

As usual, she managed to keep my mom and my brother on their toes. Read the story here.

Overwhelmed

That's how I feel after my first day of classes. I felt better when I looked around the classroom and my fellow classmates had the same glazed look in their eye as they tried to figure out how they were going to pull it all together.

The girls started at the program on post yesterday and loved it. Em's bus was late coming back from their field trip so I was the one standing in the lobby with the screaming two year old who is strong, stubborn and loud (Gunner traits?), while chasing Abs who was hugging all her friends over and over and over.

Thursday will mark 51 trash days left and the three month mark. I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel, yet, but I think the tunnel is coming into view...

I survived...

I showed up at the 10k yesterday and saw all these super fit, super serious athletes. I was ready to toss in the towel. I picked up my packet, sat in the car, and finally decided my goal was to finish, so I would just give it a shot.

I ran most of the first couple of miles, but after that it was a mix of walking and running. It was so humid that my curls turned into a giant fro. It was cool first thing in the morning but it didn't waste any time becoming hot, hot, hot. In the end I did finish, and my time was better than the worst case scenario that I gave myself. I wasn't last (not even close), although they should have given me a medal for showing up, not falling down when I tripped and for the best hair. Maybe next time.

I would definitely do it again, but I need to be in better shape and I need to remember to take my IPOD so my slightly OCD self won't count. It was a lot of fun though, and I liked the challenge. In the end, that's all that matters. I'll go for the gold next time.

I came home and passed out for two hours while Junior napped. I then took Em to my mom's and dropped her off and we went to get mexican food. Abs was in rare form, but was content packing a PB&J, and she still ate a lot of my mom's chicken fajitas.

The outlaws brought over a Thomas the Tank Engine toddler bed for Junior last night, but I am not ready to move him into it yet. I guess if I knew I had a good home for the crib and the dresser I might be in more of a rush. Plus the thought of another child being in and out of bed at night is just not appealing!

School starts tomorrow. I'm so not ready....

Surprises

When Em was a baby, I changed her diaper one time and found that she had eaten a piece of magnetic toast and it was smiling up at me (it had a little face imprinted on it).

Abs pooped one time and I was rewarded with a gold star that she had eaten.

And Junior...oh Junior......I changed his diaper yesterday and had to take several looks to realize what I was seeing. The boy swallowed a gigantic acorn. It was over an inch long and super fat. I don't know how he got it down or out! Ouch!